Halloween

In preparation for halloween this year we visited two pumpkin patches.  We went to one with some friends and James had a great running around with some other boys.  Then we went on the weekend with Jonathan to a pumpkin patch that had more things that Alyse could do.  It made for some great memories (I will spare you All the pictures) and James is ready to go back.

Alyse was so excited when she managed to pick this pumpkin up.



Hayrack ride.

James with one of his pumpkins.

I let James and Alyse each paint one of their pumpkins on a nice day.  This is the finished product.  James painted his pumpkin orange with green.  (Orange is still his favorite color.) They also carved pumpkins with Jonathan.

To celebrate halloween we took an evening and went to Boo at the Zoo with friends (sadly I didn't get very good pictures) and then went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.  James went to a few houses and was done.  He was thrilled to hand out candy to everyone that came to our door.  Alyse caught on quickly about getting candy and would grab a piece or just wait with a sweet look for more.  She also had her first taste of candy the other day as she chewed through a wrapper.  She was so pleased and really enjoyed her kit kat.  James keeps enjoying his candy too!

Fire

A few months ago, there was a fire near our neighborhood.  It was an illegal burn on one of those dry, hot, extremely windy Nebraska summer days.  The wind caused the fire to spread to our neighborhood.  I just happened to be outside to see a thick cloud of smoke blowing down the street.  I quick went to see what was happening, and talked to our neighbor that had just called in the fire.  (I should mention no one or homes were hurt.)  After finding out what was happening I ran back inside and got James up from his nap to see the firefighters and trucks, since this wasn't something that happens everyday.  He got to see them hook the hoses up and watch them put out the fire. It was quite exciting and he enjoyed it.  Since then everything has been about firetrucks and fire. 

 

A couple weekends ago, the local fire station had an open house so we had to stop.  James thought it was great.

 

 

He got to spray the hose.

Spray an extinguisher to put out the fire.

 



The highlight was sitting in a helicopter and watching it land.



Here he is with his fire helmet he got.  Alyse got a pink one, but is yet to let me take her picture with it. James enjoys being a firefighter and putting out the fires on Alyse's dollhouse.



Summer Fun in a nutshell

For those who have been asking, here are a few photos to highlight what we've been up to lately. We've been busy.

 This is James and his new bike that we got back in May. He enjoys riding it, but still rides a trike pretty often. He's not too fond of wearing the helmet on his bike.

Alyse thinks the scooter is pretty fun.

We've also spent a good amount of time digging.  This is James' hole outside our house.  We are hoping to get some landscaping soon, and he keeps asking us not to put rock or plants there.  We did buy sand for him to dig in that is along the house and sidewalk leading to the front door.  It's been a big hit with them and the neighbors.

We've also been to the park.  Alyse loves to swing and will stay there the entire time if you let her.

We have not been to the park lately, since it has been too hot.  Maybe we can go again when it cools off.

We have also made several trips to the children museum.  There is a new construction area that James really enjoys, and can spend a good amount of time there.  Alyse has a good time too!

We have been spending a a good amount of time swimming to cool off from the heat.  James and Alyse both enjoy the water.

We went fishing for Father's Day and caught two fish.

We have took a trip to the Henry Doorly Zoo, and have made several trips to the Lincoln Children's Zoo. James always enjoys the train ride best.  He also enjoyed the sharks and penguins.

Alyse found watching the penguins and the colorful fish to be fun.

A good family photo at the rainforest.

We've also been having fun inside.  James is playing with shaving cream!  (Good way to beat the heat inside.) and spending time with lots of friends. We've had several playdates, and lots of kids in the neighborhood to play with. It's been a fun, hot, and busy summer.

Look out world

Alsye can walk!  She has been taking one to two step for a couple of weeks now.  This week she has really gotten the hang of it and is taking about 7-8 steps.  Each day she is walking more and farther each time she goes.  It's been exciting watching her go and learn.

Outakes

We tried to get some family pictures on Easter. Aren't natural shots great!

Easter Fun

Easter was a very busy and fun time for us. We began with an egg hunt on Palm Sunday at my parents' church, and then during the week we dyed eggs at home. So I asked James what was the point of Easter. He responded with, "eggs". I said and what else? He then said, "and candy!" We discussed a little more and by Easter Sunday he would answer with "Jesus rose!"

Attempting some family pictures.

Easter Sunday was spent outside blowing bubbles,

dying eggs,

an egg hunt and kite flying,

lots of sweets,

and horseriding.

It was fun and enjoyable day. James and Alyse were wiped out. As we were getting ready to leave James started asking where he could rest, since he went the day without a nap. He immediately fell asleep in the car on the way home. Happy Easter!

Update

Aside from fishing we've been keeping ourselves busy these days. Here's a brief update. Jonathan started a new job. He is settling in now and seems to be enjoying it.

Alyse is now eight months and growing quickly. She is busy and into everything. She will put anything and everything into her mouth (paper, dryer lint, dirt, grass, etc.) She is also pulling up on everything she can reach and begining to cruise.

We have been spending lots of time outside, enjoying the beautiful weather. We've been digging and trips to the park.

Alyse gets to ride in the stroller when I'm tired of keeping dirt out of her mouth.

It should be a fun and busy spring/summer.

"I caught a fish"

A few weeks, ago my parents suggested we take James fishing. Since then he had been talking about going fishing with Papa. So on a nice evening we went and had a picnic and then headed to the to try and catch a fish.

He jumped right in and gave it a try holding the rod, picking out bobbers, and reeling the bobber in. He had a few nibbles the first few times we cast, but no fish. So, we headed to the park while papa kept trying. It was getting later so we went back to the lake and decided to try a few more times. On the last cast into the water,
James got a bite, and reeled in his fish. He was so proud and excited!

Cars and More Cars

James is 3!!! And we celebrated with "Cars". He is really into the movies and has been talking for a month about having a "Cars" cake.

We decorated with a balloon. He saw this when we went to get some for Jonathan and knew he wanted a Lightning Mcqueen balloon for his birthday.

James was invited to a friend's birthday in December and has been talking about inviting him to his birthday. We heard about a family event that the movie theatre was having in the month of February, so we invited some friends to come with us and James went to his first movie. We saw "Winnie the Pooh". He said he enjoyed it. It was a good first movie since it was only a hour long, and he only got wiggly once at the end.

We headed home for pizza, cars cake, and presents.

Our friends that we celebrated with. All in their cars shirts.

We also had an ice cream cake to celebrate the evening with grandparents that couldn't be there earlier in the day. He had a great birthday and really enjoyed himself! The hard part now is explaining that this coming Saturday is not his birthday.